Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures 40th Anniversary Limited Edition

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by bettsaj, May 8, 2019.

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  1. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    So this is a good thing? Mine is shipping soon, trying to decide if I should keep it coming, or cancel.
     
  2. bettsaj

    bettsaj “I'm in competition with myself and I'm losing.” Thread Starter


    Not sure...... I have been rallying for months to get both Unknown Pleasures and Closer repressed by MoFi but Rhino are dragging their feet. Both these albums need to be remastered from the original master tape via analogue, not digital. I think they missed a trick with this release. I have the 40th anniversary red vinyl pressing and it's *ok* nothing special, if you already have the 2007 or 2015 pressing save yourself the hassle and give it a miss.... That is unless you want the red record and white cover.

    For me the white cover brings nothing to the table, and in all honesty spoils the record, IMHO. What they've failed to mention in all the adverts for this release is that the inner bag is also reversed, now being black with the photograph of the door on one side and the track listing on the other. I'm not 100% sure, but I reckon the black and white labels on the actual record are also reversed.

    The see through record is nice, but it would have been better if it had been like the originals, black but red when held up to the light. I can't see this as anything more than a cash in, unfortunately. It's a shame that Unknown Pleasures has now become a thing of a commercial cash in.. shirts, key fobs, mugs, training shoes, towels, cushions, skirts, oven gloves and now this record release..... Have we lost sight of what's important here, the single most important debut release likely of any band, ever. I can't think of any other band that has had this amount of cultural impact after only 2 LP's, both of which are now looked upon as contemporary classics.
     
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  3. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Punk

    Location:
    England
    I know what you mean, but its 1960s equivalent in terms of most influential "rock" debut, The Velvet Underground and Nico, has had keychains, shopping bags, coasters etc knocking around for 20+ years in places such as Camden UK and Manhattan USA. IIRC John Cale and Lou Reed filed a lawsuit some years ago to get paid for all that stuff, which I think they won.

    At least the VU album and its three follow-ups had decent box set editions for their anniversaries though, which focussed on the music. Maybe Unknown Pleasures will get a box set soonish, and this pointless white sleeve release is just a blip, to join all the other artists' coloured vinyl blips sadly filling the racks and stores.
     
  4. According to Peter Saville, black-on-white is the way the band originally wanted it, so you could look at it that way.
     
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  5. bettsaj

    bettsaj “I'm in competition with myself and I'm losing.” Thread Starter


    True... And the band were outvoted because it's not in keeping with the music, or the atmosphere of the recording.... In this instance the band were wrong, and whoever out voted them (probably Rob Gretton) had the right idea.
     
  6. bettsaj

    bettsaj “I'm in competition with myself and I'm losing.” Thread Starter

    I bought it, just because....... not because I needed it or even wanted it..... just because I wanted it for my collection to sit next to the proper copy I have. I got it for £15 off Amazon, so it's not the end of the world, but I must stop buying meaningless vinyl albums JUST BECAUSE!!
     
  7. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    "Now"? I remember "Unknown Pleasures" tote bags from easily 15 years ago. The "Closer" artwork was de rigeur in alternative bed sits in the 90's. It's been a while now since the symbols have taken over the content. :agree:

    I love "UP" but is it "the single most important debut release likely of any band, ever"? Come on!

    And by the way: Why are you actually complaining about "cash in"? You bought this anniversary pressing! :evil:
     
  8. bettsaj

    bettsaj “I'm in competition with myself and I'm losing.” Thread Starter

    Hmmmm...... 15 years ago isn't that long ago, and the 90's are just back around the corner. As far as Unknown Pleasures is concerned there is a lot of merch for it now...... And I'm not complaining about sensible merch.... but OVEN GLOVES!! Please do me a favour. I remember buying an Unknown Pleasures T-Shirt back in 1980....... Not oven gloves. And the T-Shirt was black, not bloody white grrrrrrrrrr

    Yep.... I still stand by that...... Name me one band that has had that amount of impact culturally, after only 2 albums that are both classed as classic albums in their own right.... The first album is now looked upon as a milestone in modern contemporary music.

    I bought the music because I'm a fan..... I'm also a collector of music..... Not key fobs, oven gloves, posters, trainers, etc etc
     
  9. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Sex?
    Pistols?
    Just one album!

    :cop:
     
    Dave Decadent likes this.
  10. lennonfan1

    lennonfan1 Senior Member

    Location:
    baltimore maryland
    So, this arrived and it's mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road. He's also done the New Order reissues and I've loved every single one.
    This is no exception.
    Very first play was transferred to 7.5 ips reel, I assumed this would be great....and it is!!!
    Dynamics are powerful and full, nothing really shrill and certainly not goosed or pumped IMO. It sounds like a faithful transfer of the tapes in the best fidelity possible. I love the textured cover reversed, it has a full circle feel to it as it was the image first presented to Saville by the band.
    vinyl is heavy flat and mostly quiet. I can say with certainty this is worth picking up.
    I heard the radio 6 show where they played a first press, I feel the new one captured a better low end. Granted, better to hear in person, but it definitely smokes the 2007 issue in the box I have.
     
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  11. Chris Treece

    Chris Treece Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haworth, UK
    The white cover is more true to the original design concept, so there is a point to it!
     
  12. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    You dubbed this to reel to reel? Or am I misunderstanding?
     
  13. bettsaj

    bettsaj “I'm in competition with myself and I'm losing.” Thread Starter


    Fair point....
     
  14. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Punk

    Location:
    England
    +
    Hendrix
    The Velvet Underground
    Falco
     
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  15. bettsaj

    bettsaj “I'm in competition with myself and I'm losing.” Thread Starter


    Hendrix nope... He was good but his first album is hardly classed as a classic, a few good songs but hardly a classic. Don't get me started on Hendrix.... I love Hendrix but find him hugely overrated and a lot of his albums hit and miss.
    The Velvet Underground & Nico was a late starter...... and didn't get the recognition it deserved until way later, and I don't think it had a cultural impact like Joy Divisions Unknown Pleasures did.
    Falco??? You are joking
     
  16. jimod99

    jimod99 Daddy or chips?

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON

    The oven gloves came about because of Half Man Half Biscuit, it was a joke initially.
     
  17. Vox78

    Vox78 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cork
    I’ m amazed at the response to this release...I love the album and am aware that some original pressings were red, but if ever there was a sleeve & record suited to Black it’s Unknown Pleasures.

    I might be tempted by a white pressing of Closer or a grey/silver one for Substance.
     
  18. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Punk

    Location:
    England
    The first Hendrix album influenced The Beatles when they were the biggest and most influential band on earth.

    The VU & Nico album was in 1967 owned, heard by, and influenced David Bowie, Brian Eno and The Who.

    Unknown Pleasures is an incredible and hugely influential, important debut album, but so are many others, including 1978's The Scream by the Banshees which according to JD band members themselves was a significant influence on Unknown Pleasures.

    (Yes, Falco was a joke :) )
     
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  19. lennonfan1

    lennonfan1 Senior Member

    Location:
    baltimore maryland
    yes, I dubbed to reel tape. I don't do cassettes or cdrs.
     
  20. Vox78

    Vox78 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cork
    There was some band from Burnage in the early to mid nineties whose name escapes me ....
     
  21. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    Interesting - Reel isn’t portable though, like cassette or cdrs.
     
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  22. Eamon

    Eamon Forum Resident

    Oasis are the worlds luckiest pub band rehashing British bands of old and passing it off as original, essentially a 90's Status Quo if that floats your boat. Their two most famous songs; one was a steal of Bob Marley no women no cry and the other nicked from Imagine.

    As for the other work again it is a rehash of songs from the Beatles, The Stone Roses, Sex Pistols and others not remotely original or revolutionary.

    Joy Division and the Velvet Underground created new and exciting music.
     
    VapourTrailUS likes this.
  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Sure it is :laugh:
    [​IMG]
     
  24. lennonfan1

    lennonfan1 Senior Member

    Location:
    baltimore maryland
    lol except for a rare example like above yes, reel isn't portable but feels more transparent to me than cassette and also, while cassette is essentially miniature reel to reel, I find the tape overly thin and prone to more damage after repeated plays. I have reels well over 50 years old that sound as good as they did then!
    I am also an 8-track head since 1969 and will occasionally dub to that as well, but it's more for novelty and my assorted players. ..but even here, a high quality tape is much like reel at 3.75 ips but the head gap is narrower which stifles a bit of information. ...it can still be pleasant, just not audiophile.

    I used a TDK reel, put the Atmosphere 12 inch single to round it off...don't even record on side 2 to prevent any bleed through...
    I also do quad to reel and of course that's in one direction only, with all 4 tracks in unison.
    the playback of this Joy Division vinyl on reel was truly excellent, with the meter levels jumping just like they did when I recorded it. very dynamic, I think She's Lost Control had the highest peaks of all.
     
    JeffMo and c-eling like this.
  25. nosliw

    nosliw Delivering parcels throughout Teyvat! Meow~!

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON, Canada
    And looking at the Discogs entry Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures I was right that it was pressed by Optimal. It looks really neat on transparent ruby coloured vinyl with the white-black motif though I'm perfectly happy with my Canadian LP pressing.
     
    c-eling likes this.
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